"We have sex, but we don't talk about it" Examining silences in teaching and learning about sex and sexuality in Ghana and Ethiopia

Using Ghana and Ethiopia as case studies, this chapter examines the teaching and learning about sex and sexuality at basic, secondary, and university levels. It explores whether teaching and learning about sex and sexuality changes as students advance to subsequent levels in the education system, that is, from primary to secondary and tertiary levels of education. The role of the gender composition of the class, and its effect on class atmosphere and level of interaction emerged as an important theme. The discussion of key themes emerging from the data is structured into two key sections: silences, role of culture, language, and lexical choices; and class/lecture room atmosphere, sex composition, and gender dynamics. Awareness of the shortcomings of abstinence based approaches has led to a growing support for more comprehensive forms of sexuality education approaches.